Kobe Bryant visits China, and the crowd goes wild

Lakers star Kobe Bryant is visiting China, holding basketball clinics and doing promotional work for products he endorses, according to news reports. While there, he made some news, too, saying he and his doctors have “shattered” the timetable for recovery after the surgery to repair his torn Achilles’ tendon.

Bryant was injured April 12. “Three-and-a-half months [and] I can already walk just fine,” he said in Shenzhen, China, according to NBA.com. Whether Bryant will be ready to play when the Lakers open the season Oct. 29 against the Clippers is still to be determined. If the desires of rabid fans in the city of Shenzhen count for anything, though, don’t bet against it.